Gas-engine.



PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

F. A. GARDNER.

GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1903.

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WITNESSES A TTORII'EYS mzmonms Pun-m, rm ruomum No. 759,093. 4 PATENTED MAY 3,1904.

F. A. GARDNER.

GAS ENGINE.

, APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 22, 1903.

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Mum. w "WIN w I HM ""l ilnm/ I lllllllli-flllllllil ITNESSES [NYE/ 70H ATTORNEYS liliaiTEn STATES Patented May 3, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 59,093, dated May 3, 1904.

Application filed September 22, 1903. Serial No. 174,174. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, FREDERICK A. GARDNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Catskill, in the county of Greene and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to. make and use the same.

This invention relates to gas-engines and other engines of this class; and the object thereof is to provide an engine of this class having two parallel power-shafts and adapted to turn said shafts in opposite directions; and with this and other objects in view the invention consists in an engine of the class specified constructed as hereinafter described and claimed. I

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional side view looking in the direction of the arrow 01: of Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a section on the line2 2 of Fig. 1 and on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3, a plan view; Fig. 4, a detail of a cam device which I employ, and Fig. 5 a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In the practice of my invention I provide an engine of the class described which comprises a base-casing a, which is preferably composed of two parts connected at a and which is provided in the top thereof with two cylinder-openings of, over which are placed cylinders l), and the top of the casing a is also provided with an opening a? to accommodate a gea1'wheel 0, herein after described, and other parts of the construction.

Passing horizontally through the bottom casing to and preferably at the points where the separate parts thereof are connected are two parallel shafts (Z, each of which is provided within the casing a with a crank d and crank-rod (Z and the crank-rods (Z are each connected with a piston c, one of which is mounted in each of the cylinders b. As shown in the drawings, the pistons e are preferably constitutes an exhaust.

what are known as drum-pistons; but any suitable piston may be employed. Each of the shafts d is also provided within the casing to with a large gear-wheel a, and these gearwheels mesh, as shown in Fig. 1, and by means thereof the shafts (Z are turned in opposite directions, as hereinafter described. One of the shafts, (Z, is also provided with a smaller gear-wheel c and passing horizontally through the top portion of the casing a parallel with the shafts (Z and over the same is a cam-shaft to which the wheel 0 is secured, and said wheel 0 operates in connection with the wheel 6 on one of the shafts (/Z, and the cam-shaft f is provided adjacent to the wheel 0 with a cam 7. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. t.)

Each of the cylinders 7) is provided at the top thereof with a casing 5 formed integrally therewith in the usual manner and also forming a water-jacket and within which is a transverse eXplosive-chamber b and these explosive-chambers I) are parallel with the corresponding shafts (Z, and each is in communication centrally thereof with one of the cylinders Z).

Each of the explosive-chambers b is provided at one end with a screw-threaded opening 5, by means of which an ordinary igniting device may be connected therewith, and said igniting device, which forms no part of this invention and is therefore not shown, may be of any desired construction and is operated in any desired manner. Each'of the casings 71 is also provided with two ports or passages 7) and b, which open laterally, as shown at 71 and 5 that part of said ports or passages which communicate with the explosive-chamber 6 being arranged vertically, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The port or passage 6" at each side constitutes an inlet for the gas, while the corresponding port or passage 6 The ports or passages F are provided with valves 9, having valve stems g, which extend downwardly through the bottom of the casing I2 and are provided at their lower ends with springs g which bear on the bottom of said casing and on collars secured to the lower ends of the valve-stems, and these springs normallyserve to hold the valves g closed. The ports or pas-. sages 6 at each side are provided wlth valves it, having stems 7L which pass downwardly through the bottom of the casing 5 and are provided with spiral springs 7?, which bear on the bottom of said casing b and on collars 73, secured to the lower ends of said valvestems if, and these springs also serve to hold the valves Jt closed.

Pivoted at i and between the wheel and the cylinders b are two bell-crank levers k and on, one arm of each of which is normally held horizontally in such a manner that the lower ends of the valve rods or stems if of the exhaust-valves it rest thereon, while the other arms of said levers extend downwardly at the opposite sides of the cam f on the camshaft f.

Each of the casings b is also provided in the top thereof with two plugs 02/, which are located directly over the valves 9 and it, and the object of these plugs is to facilitate the cleaning out of the explosivechambers Z2 the passages 6 and b", and the cleaning of the valves g and it.

The shafts (Z, which constitute the powershafts of the device, are, in fact, crank-shafts,

I and each is preferably provided with a counterbalance-weight 0, the object of which is to balance the pistons e and the crank and crankrod with which the same are connected.

,The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following statement thereof. It will be understood that the engine is started in the manner of other engines of this class, and in this operation we will assume that an explosion has taken place in one of the chambers 6 by which the corresponding piston and connected crank-rod is driven downwardly, turning its connected shaft, which in turn revolves the other connected shaft, drawing down the other piston in the other chamber 6 and the last-mentioned piston in its downward movement at this time draws into its corresponding combustion -chamber, through its inletvalve, the gas or other explosive fluid used in the operation of the engine. hen the pistons have reached their lowest position, the momentum of the rotating shafts will drive the said pistons upwardly, and during this upward movement the products of combustion remaining in the first-nan1ed combustionchamber are driven outwardly through the exhaust-valve which has been opened by the operation of the cam f and one of the cranklevers, and the gas or combustible fluid contained in the other explosive-chamber is compressed until the pistons have reach ed their extremeupper position. At this time the compressed gas or explosive fluid contained within the second-named combustion-chamber is ignited and explodes and drives downwardly the corresponding piston, carrying with it the first-named piston, and the downward movement of the first-named piston during the explosion operates to draw into its corresponding combustion-chamber a fresh supply of the gas or explosive fluid, and the momentum of the rotating shafts continues the operation and drives the pistons upwardly, compressing the gas in the first-named chamber and at the same time exhausting the products of combustion remaining in the second combustion-chamber through its exhaust-valve, which is operated by means of the cam and the other crank-la Ver. This operation is continuous, and it will be observed that the movement of the pistons is simultaneous and that an explosion occurs alternately in each of the combustion-chambers and that there is one explosion in each chamber during every two revolutions of the corresponding shaft, and the connection of the two pistons and shafts in the manner shown provides an engine in which an almost continuous power is applied to the cranks, depending on a minimum amount of momentum to carry the pistons back to their operative positions.

The employment of two parallel crank or power shafts (Z in the manner described and the connection therewith of the counterbalance-weights a, which project in a direction opposite to that of the cranks, produces a counterbalanced engine and one which operates smoothly and regularly and without the jolt or jar which frequently accompanies the operation of other engines of this class.

In practice the movement or motion of the shafts (Z is transmitted to a single supplemental power-shaft, which is not shown, and geared in connection therewith, so as to turn said power-shaft in either direction; but this feature forms no part of this application and is therefore not shown and described therein.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an eXplosive-engine,the combination with a base formed of an upper and lower section, the upper section having in its top a plurality of openings, said sections also having their contiguous edges provided with elongated bearings, of a pair of cylinders arranged upon the upper section of said base and communicating with the latter through said openings, each of said cylinders having at its upper end a transversely-extending explosion-chamber provided at its ends with inlet and exhaust ports, said ports being arranged at opposite sides of said cylinder and terminating on a line with the upper end of the cylinder, springhorizontal arms of said bell-cranks whereby the latter alternately actuate said valves to free the cylinders of the burned gases.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my inventionl have signed my name, in pres ence of the subscribing Witnesses, this 21st day of September, 1903.

FREDERICK A. GARDNER.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, O. E. MULREANY. 

